MikeyPod

Pianist and composer Sophia Subbaya Vastek joins me today to discuss her new album, In Our Softening. I am completely enamored with this album, our conversation about Sophia's music, and the magnificently imperfect instrument that inspired it. Enjoy this conversation, and be sure to check out the entire album as well! Based in Troy, NY, …

Molly Joyce is back on the podcast to discuss her brand new album, Perspective, which features disabled interviewees responding to what access, care, interdependence, and more means to them. We talk about the development of the album, expanding accessibility with our art, and how a question from a mentor inspired the project itself. Thank you …

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Martyna Majok is my guest on the podcast this week to talk about her creative work, connection, disability, humor, and most importantly: cats. Her play Cost of Living is in its final weeks on Broadway at the Manhattan Theater Club and you need to see it, so get your tickets here! I'm …

This conversation with interdisciplinary sound artist and composer Brian Harnetty covers everything from spirituality to creative process, to ethics of sampling, and beyond. We talk about (and listen to a few tracks from) his exquisite new album, Words and Silences. I had a great time with this chat, and it inspired me to dive a …

Christopher Willits makes his third visit to the podcast today and I could not be more thrilled to share this with you. We talk about his latest album, Gravity, the concept of gravity, creativity, mortality, process, and the beauty in allowing things to be exactly what they are. This is another brilliant connection with a …

Pageant Queen turned indie-rocker Caroline Weinroth joins me on the podcast this week to talk about Cinema Hearts, the band for which she serves as lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter. We talk about her experience as a contender for Miss Virginia, and how that experience inspired the band's EP, Your Ideal. Caroline's insight and openness …

Composer-Performer Sugar Vendil joins me this week to talk about one of her latest projects, hyPerFormFest, a one day (for now) eclectic, boundary-free music gathering featuring Jerome Gillespie, Chloe Alexandra Thompson, and Jasmine Hearn. We listen to some of her magnificent music, chat about our changing relationships with social media as artists, and so much …

Lavinia Jones Wright‘s film project, Love All Alices, is the exact kind of thing that gets me fired up and inspired to the max. The finish line is a film, sure, but through my conversation with Ms. Jones I discovered the multiple layers of stage, video, community, and love that converge to tell the story …

Author and musician Lotus Kay returns to the podcast today to talk about her new book, Friends Lift You Up, and the original music she has been releasing since her last visit on the podcast. I loved chatting with her about the book and how writing it helped with her own healing and in navigating …

Annick Adelle's debut comedy album, “Between Two Worlds” will be released this Friday, and I was so proud to have a chance to chat with Annick about the project and the various ways Annick truly does exist between worlds. Be it the bridges between countries, genres, or genders, Annick's creative voice finds an authentic space …

Ayun Halliday‘s book, Creative, Not Famous: The Small Potato Manifesto, landed in my lap at precisely the right moment in time. I invited her on the podcast to discuss the book, and how she strives to embrace the act of being creative just for creativity's sake. I can't wait for you to hear this conversation …

On this episode of the podcast, I chat with Travis Andrews and Andy Meyerson AKA The Living Earth Show, one of the premiere contemporary chamber ensembles in the United States. We talk about their creative work, their brand new label, Earthy Records, and listen to some selections of their work, including a track from COMMANDO, […]

On this episode of the podcast I chat with author, filmmaker, producer and serial entrepreneur, Miasha. We talk about her book turned film Secret Society, her inspiration, the importance of telling LGBTQIA+ stories through a BIPOC lens, and so much more. MIASHA is a real powerhouse, and was an absolute pleasure to talk with! Don't […]

My guest this week is Brandon Elliott, the Founder, Executive and Artistic Director of Choral Arts Initiative, an organization solely dedicated to bringing new music by living artists to life. We talk about his work with the organization, their most recent commission, From Wilderness, and how the gift of time and space deepened his understanding […]

Harpist Emily Levin joins me on the podcast to discuss GroundWork(s), a commissioning project she founded to celebrate living composers through harp-centric commissions, and to pay homage to the communities that first supported them through hometown premieres. I chatted with Emily just days before the premiere of her first commission and felt so inspired by […]

Musician and podcaster Jack Stafford joins me on the podcast this week to talk about his Podsongs podcast, to chat about some of the music his interviews have inspired, and embark on a pretty deep (yet accessible) spiritual excursion. If there ever was a perfect guest for this here podcast, this is the guy! I […]

Ian Lockwood joins me this week to chat about his latest EP, Not Like Other Girls, his brilliant videos, the idea of building art through community, and just so much more. Ian provides some great insight here about the way he creates his work and I can't wait for you hear it! Ian Lockwood is […] The post MikeyPod 339 | Comedian and Musician Ian Lockwood appeared first on MikeyPod.

Shaina Feinberg joins me on the podcast this week to talk about the brand new second season of her series, Dinette. The show follows a group of female and gender non-conforming friends navigating their relationships with each other, the world and themselves. We chatted a bunch about how she created this (and her many other projects) […] The post MikeyPod 338 | Filmmaker Shaina Feinberg appeared first on MikeyPod.

On this week's glorious episode of the podcast, I chat with author and musician Maria Konnorabout her book, Girl Shock: I dressed as a girl for Halloween but then she took over my life! Maria's story of how she escaped her “straight dude suburban life” is a fascinating one, and I found her journey toward...Continue reading

Long before the dawn of social media influencers, Geoffrey John Davies decided to try out a new website called YouTube to share his love for music and all things violin. [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 336 | The Violin Channel's Geoffrey John Davies appeared first on MikeyPod.

On this episode of the podcast, I have a fascinating conversation with musician and archivist Dr. Louise Toppin about The African Diaspora Music Project – a database she created  to [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 335 | Musician and Archivist Dr. Louise Toppin appeared first on MikeyPod.

It's release day for Dr. Alexander Lloyd Blake and his award winning choral-ensemble Tonality! On this episode of the podcast, Dr. Blake and I discuss the new album, America Will [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 334 | Musician and Activist Dr. Alexander Lloyd Blake appeared first on MikeyPod.

It's high time I had my friend, Martin Rowe on the podcast, and the recent release of his new book of verse, The Animals Are Leaving Us provided the perfect [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 333 | Author and Publisher Martin Rowe appeared first on MikeyPod.

I had a blast chatting with musician Christian Douglas on the podcast this week. His debut album, Inside Voice, was written and recorded under quarantine, and as you might expect [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 332 | Musician Christian Douglas appeared first on MikeyPod.

Joining me on the podcast (in a conversation I really needed) is author, essayist, and sex-positive content creator Gabrielle Alexa Nicole. We chat about her book, How to Live With [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 331 | Author Gabrielle Alexa Noelle appeared first on MikeyPod.

This week I welcome author Nevo Zisin to chat about their book The Pronoun Lowdown: Demystifying and celebrating gender diversity. This conversation was a absolute delight, and we went deep [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 330 | Author Nevo Zisin appeared first on MikeyPod.

This week I welcome Edward Button to the podcast to talk about his work with the renowned British a cappella vocal ensemble, The King's Singers. Eddie and I talk about [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 329 | Edward Button and The King's Singers appeared first on MikeyPod.

Considering how much I love Michael Zapruder‘s music, I probably should not have been so surprised by how much we vibed together in this week’s episode of the podcast. His [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 328 | Musician Michael Zapruder appeared first on MikeyPod.

Like her latest solo theater piece Delejos (from afar), my conversation this week with Julie Piñero explores themes of grief, distance, Latinx identity, virtual reality, and music in a strikingly [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 327 | Writer and Performer Julie Piñero appeared first on MikeyPod.

I had a fantastic chat with Sheila Carrasco this week about her new solo show,  Anyone But Me, (currently in its final week – Get tickets here!) The show dissects [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 326 | Writer and Performer Sheila Carrasco appeared first on MikeyPod.

I am so proud to welcome composer, violinist, activist, and educator Daniel Bernard Roumain to the podcast this week. When I read last week that the Tulsa Opera made the [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 325 | Composer Daniel Bernard Roumain appeared first on MikeyPod.

Anna LaMadrid‘s solo performance The Oxy Complex opens online this week at IAMA Theater Company and she joined me this week to talk about her process with creating the show, [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 234 | Writer and Performer Anna LaMadrid appeared first on MikeyPod.

I was treated to a preview of “Unraveling,” the forthcoming new video from dark electronic synth-pop duo PIERA a couple weeks ago, and I knew I had to introduce them [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 323 | Dark Synth-Pop Duo PIERA appeared first on MikeyPod.

I’ve been a casual fan of Myq Kaplan‘s for a few years now, but it wasn’t until I started prepping for this conversation that I got a full picture of [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 322 | Comedian Myq Kaplan appeared first on MikeyPod.

Tàhlia Audrí and I first crossed paths as cast members in Lauren Maul‘s Bucolic a couple of years ago. I’ve followed all of her work since then, but was especially [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 321 | Writer and Performer Táhlia Audrí appeared first on MikeyPod.

I first encountered Lee Uehara as the founder of NYC Podcasters Network, but soon discovered she also founded Asian American Podcasters Association, and of course hosts her own podcasts House [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 320 | Podcaster Lee Uehara appeared first on MikeyPod.

I have followed Stewart Mitchell‘s activism and social media presence for quite a while now and been inspired by his seemingly tireless energy to show up for human and non-human [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 319 | Author and Activist Stewart Mitchell appeared first on MikeyPod.

Israeli-American pianist Yael Weiss is the curator and performer of 32 Bright Clouds: Beethoven Conversations Around the World. Through this commissioning and performance project, Ms. Weiss has commissioned new works [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 318 | Pianist Yael Weiss appeared first on MikeyPod.

I am so honored to present this conversation with composer Joseph C. Phillips Jr. about The Grey Land, his monoopera which explores universal themes of humanity and identity through the [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 317 | Composer Joseph C. Phillips Jr. appeared first on MikeyPod.

It would be difficult to summarize the impossibly prolific world of guitarist Mak Grgic in one paragraph. He is an accomplished classical guitarist who has performed all over the globe, [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 316 | Guitarist Mak Grgic appeared first on MikeyPod.

Lotus Kay is a teen writer who has been published in Thrive Global,  Vegan Health & Fitness Magazine, New Leaves, Light of Consciousness, and Voya: Voice of Youth Advocates.  She is a recipient of [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 315 | Author Lotus Kay appeared first on MikeyPod.

From the moment Tom DeTrinis and I began chatting on Skype, I knew this conversation was going to be a good one! Tom is a an angry actor/writer/director/producer who has [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 314 | Writer and Actor Tom DeTrinis appeared first on MikeyPod.

If you like comedy, therapy, and #poignancy, then you’ll love today’s conversation with award-winning comedian, actress and writer, Melinda Hill. She uses laughter as medicine in Inappropriate, her new comedy [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 313 | Comedian Melinda Hill appeared first on MikeyPod.

Sharrell D. Luckett is an award-winning artist, author, and professor who was introduced to me by my longtime friend and frequent collaborator Adam Fitzgerald. With just a glance at her [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 312 | Artist, Author, and Professor Sharrell D. Luckett, PhD appeared first on MikeyPod.

Jill Carnegie serves as Campaign Strategist for the Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos, and as a participant in the group’s efforts for a number of years, I have worked [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 311 | Activist and Rescuer Jill Carnegie appeared first on MikeyPod.

Like many of us, Eric Obenauf found himself weighing his options after the 2016 election here in the United States. Was it time to leave the country, or was it [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 310 | Author and Publisher Eric Obenauf appeared first on MikeyPod.

I had such a great time chatting with theater, film, and television producer Marie Cisco on this week’s podcast. In addition to her incredible creative output, Marie is the originator [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 309 | Theater, Film, and TV Producer Marie Cisco appeared first on MikeyPod.

In what might be the most unique path toward inviting a guest to be on the podcast, I first ran across Maneetpaul Singh‘s tech YouTube channel while I was researching [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 308 | Podcaster and Video Producer Maneetpaul Singh appeared first on MikeyPod.

Sabrina Chap‘s brilliant new album,  Postcards from the Rearview Mirror, is a coming-of-age radio musical. Weaving prophetic monologues, theatrical soundscapes, and 10 songs, it tells the story of two queer teens [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 307 | Musician Sabrina Chap appeared first on MikeyPod.

Kiirstin Marilyn has a new album coming out, There Are No Cats in America, and I couldn’t wait to have her back on the podcast to talk about it! She [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 306 | Activist Musician Kiirstin Marilyn appeared first on MikeyPod.

Aseloka Smith and I crossed paths at a virtual meeting of the NYC Podcast Meetup, where I learned about her absolutely gorgeous podcast, The Colored Girl Beautiful, a narrative podcast [...] Continue reading → The post MikeyPod 305 | Podcaster Aseloka Smith appeared first on MikeyPod.